According to the Bureau of Justice, “…more than half of the American jail and prison inmates have symptoms of mental health disorders but less than one third of those with problems are getting treatment behind bars.” The mental health needs of female offenders are consistently shown to be higher than those of the men, with an increased incidence of depression & anxiety disorders, self- destructive behavior such as self-mutilation and phobic disorders. “Stress, depression, fearfulness and suicidal thoughts/attempts have shown to be strong predictors of women’s recidivism but not for men’s recidivism.” (Benda, 2005)